More than 12 people were burnt alive in a tragic road accident in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district in the early hours of Thursday. After a massive collision between a private sleeper bus and a truck in Gorlattu area of Hiriyur taluka, both the vehicles caught fire, trapping the passengers inside the bus.
The accident happened at midnight
According to the police, this accident happened at around 12 o’clock on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. The private sleeper bus was going from Bengaluru to Gokarna when it was hit hard by a truck coming from the front. In this accident, some part of the truck also got burnt and the truck driver died on the spot. There were a total of 32 people in the bus including the driver and conductor.
Bus and truck caught fire after collision
Due to the rapid spread of fire after the collision, many passengers got trapped inside the bus and did not get a chance to get out, due to which they died tragically on the spot. As soon as information about the accident was received, DSP Shivkumar reached the spot and supervised the relief and rescue operations. The fire was controlled with the help of local people and fire department.
What did the bus conductor tell?
Bus conductor Mohammad Salim said, ‘I was sleeping at that time, suddenly there was a sound and the window glass broke and I fell out of the bus, this is all I remember, what happened after that I don’t know, some people brought me to the hospital, my hands and legs were hurt.’
Investigation into the accident continues
The passengers injured in the accident were first taken to Chitradurga District Hospital. Since the condition of two of them is critical, they have been referred to Bengaluru for better treatment. Police have registered the case and the cause of the accident is being investigated. In the initial investigation, speeding or negligence is being suspected, however, official confirmation will come only after the investigation is completed.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweeted that it is deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the accident in Chitradurga district of Karnataka. He expressed his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and wished for the speedy recovery of those injured. The families of the deceased will be given Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and the injured will be given Rs 50,000.
